A Mysterious Connection
by XeroSanity
Summary: The Interrogation scene from Kylo's point of view. Rey's feelings toward the monster in the woods had been wrong. This monster had a soft voice, and chocolate brown eyes... Will be continued long after this scene.
1. Chapter 1

He hadn't wanted to restrain her.

But he saw the way she moved through the forest. Alert and aware, picking up every sound, every movement. She contained all the grace of a predator or exotic animal.

Her instincts were spot on and defensive. He wouldn't have been able to talk to her otherwise.

Though he shouldn't have, he took this rare opportunity to look at her, absorbing every detail like he was gulping down water.

Even with dirt smudged across her cheek, torn scavenger clothes and hair strewn about her face, she was a gravitational pull, the pout of her lips and the soft thump of her heart beat burning every inch of him as he had no choice but to fall into her orbit.

A lone piece of space debris, he longed to somehow make it past her atmosphere so he could be lonely with her too.

He was sure she remembered him. Somewhere. In the deep recesses of her mind. But obviously not enough.

The image of her running and darting through the trees, desperate to get away from him, shooting at him with a blaster came to mind.

It was not how he pictured their reunion to be.

The dark knight gazed upon her sleeping form adoringly, aching to stroke her gentle face, or move a wisp of hair from her forehead, but he didn't dare. He couldn't let himself.

As his eyes moved up her body, past her shoulders and to her face, he noticed the line between her eyes.

Even unconscious, her tension was visible. Her entire body was taut like a string, her brow furrowed and her jaw clenched.

She was in agony.

He forced himself to turn away from her, clenching his fists shut at his sides.

Freezing her body and putting her to sleep had been necessary. But…dwelling into her mind while she was unconscious…

His eyes wandered back to her face.

It felt dirty. Unfair. She was defenseless at the moment. He had multiple advantages over her. He wouldn't even be giving her a chance.

But…

Kylo straightened his shoulders, rearranging his face under the mask so he was the picture of calm and collected.

He stretched the energy field around him to merge with hers, until he'd established a link with her mind.

Effortlessly he snuck past the walls she'd placed on herself. Not for defense against psychic attacks, but rather to protect herself from pain.

He gritted his teeth at this realization.

Then scowled when he realized it bothered him.

Her emotions and thoughts were so vivid it was as though she was screaming them at him.

She knew now she had a connection to the force. And it terrified her. She saw what people with the force could do…like him…

The girl was afraid it was the reason her parents had left her behind.

Kylo was momentarily distracted by streams of water falling from her eyes.

He bit his tongue to keep from wiping them away, getting back to the task at hand.

He watched the image play in her mind.

A ship disappearing into the blue sky of Jakku, a young girl crying out, begging for her family to come back.

Years of loneliness and waiting…

Her body shook with anguish and exhaustion, tired of feeling this way. Tired of falling asleep and reliving these emotions over and over. It was such a strain…if only she could just sleep…

She knew loneliness and abandonment. She knew it all too well.

Like him.

The dark knight froze as his heart pounded hard in his chest. It was as if he were watching his own memories. A young child, dumped by their parents, reaching for a future they couldn't have.

Her anxiety and isolation affected her so strongly it had manifested itself into a physical pain. A pain he could feel just by looking at her.

He couldn't help himself.

The man clad in black lowered his hand so it was just inches above her face, palm downwards.

For the first time in a while, he channeled the light.

He gave her visions of a blue ocean, sunny skies, soft, lush green grass.

The salty smell of ocean air, the warmth of sunlight on her back.

He gave her love and light and life, so that it flowed throughout her whole body.

The girl relaxed, peace overcoming her expression. Her arms and legs went limp, as she snuggled deeper into the seat, her breathing became even and deep, her chest falling and rising like the ocean waves.

The sight made his heart ache.

It was unnerving.

Kylo Ren moved his hand away, carefully surveilling her dreams, making sure they didn't go back to a dark place.

Though he desperately wanted to, he didn't wake her up.

Instead, he resigned to kneel at her feet, exercising the most patience he'd ever spent for the sake of another.

The girl he thought he'd lost was within arm's length. So close. He could count the freckles on her nose.

But she may as well have been in another star system, for she remained untouchable.

It made him miserable with weakness and frustration.

But she needed to trust him. He needed her to trust him.

He'd waited this long.

~.~

The girl woke up with a start, instantly terrified that she couldn't move. She glanced down to see him kneeling on the ground, looking up at her.

He was glad she couldn't see his expression behind the mask. It was half the reason he wore it.

"Where am I?" her voice was scared and defensive, sharp as though breathing was difficult.

He couldn't help gasping. The sound of her voice was that of a young girl's, so feminine and disarming. He wasn't expecting it to have such an effect on him.

But her voice was scared. He didn't want her to be scared. "You're my guest," he said gently, recovering himself.

She raised an eyebrow, taken aback by his tone. "W-where are the others?" she asked, as though she was unsure of who she was as a person when she wasn't around them.

He couldn't keep the resentment out of his response, irritated that she preferred their company over his. "You mean the murders, traitors and thieves you call _friends_?" he pointed out.

Not that he was much better. He was all of those things too.

But he backtracked. "You'll be relieved to hear I have no idea." He tried to keep his usual snark to a minimum but it was an effort.

Maybe if he could coax her…gently nudge her mind, see what –

He bristled.

She was thinking of how to escape the room. Escape him. He'd terrified her, a dark, lumbering figure in the woods stalking her until she was trapped like an animal.

She felt humiliated and weak.

She wished she had her blaster.

"You still want to kill me," he said with sudden revelation, glad she couldn't see his face flush with hurt.

Her jaw was tight. "That happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask," she snarled.

He smirked under the mask. _Monster, huh?_ he thought.

With the grace of the Prince he'd been born as, he unfastened the buckles on his helmet, pulling it off and rising to meet her gaze.

She gawked, caught off guard with how human he looked as he stood motionless.

The girl's eyes wandered up and down his body, then she looked off to the side, as if she'd been embarrassed to have done so.

Maybe she didn't remember him, but some things didn't change.

He liked how she looked too.

He walked forward so he was closer to her.

He wanted this to be a conversation, not a torture session.

"Tell me about the droid," he prompted softly, like it was just a normal breach of topic.

But she was stubborn, avoiding eye contact and immediately going into a rant about its hardware. "He's a BB unit with a selenium drive and thermal hyper scan vindicator – "

 _No_ , he thought to himself, getting irritated. She needed to be open with him. "He's carrying a section of a navigational chart," he interrupted.

She had to cooperate with him. He didn't want to resort to his alternative methods. He didn't want to do that to her. "We have the rest," he continued, "recovered from archives of the empire, but we need the last piece. And somehow you convinced the droid to show it to you." He scowled, his ego bruised. " _You_. A scavenger."

He couldn't help it. It was infuriating.

He needed to prove himself to Snoke. He himself struggled so much with ignoring the call of the light. His internal conflict was tearing him apart. He needed it to end.

He needed to be strong, dedicating himself to a purpose, a cause. If he found the last piece of the map, Snoke would help him complete his training, and he wouldn't have to feel all of these overwhelming emotions.

The longing for the girl in front of him, the emptiness that mirrored hers, his mother's face…

But he was startled out of his reverie at her humiliated expression, and the unshed tears in her eyes.

She was afraid, despite the brave face she was putting on.

He saw it.

She wasn't proud that she was a scavenger. She knew what she was, and that her mark on this world wasn't even a blemish on the surface of time and space. She hated that he saw it. Saw _her._

It was clear he had to use force. For her sake, he'd make it quick. Despite what she might think, he derived no pleasure from doing this. But he had to make a point. "You know I can take whatever I want," he said, emulating an air of complete confidence.

He could do anything to her. Torture her with his mind, tear her apart piece by piece until she was a shadow of emptiness and sorrow, writhing on that containment slab. If only she knew how much restraint he was exercising.

He could've activated his lightsaber and had her killed in an instant.

But he'd treated her with more tenderness and gentility than he had treated anyone in years. She didn't have a scratch on her, her sanity was still intact, and violating her in any way hadn't even crossed his mind.

But she had to know that he could, if he wanted to.

He'd start with something mild.

He raised a hand to channel his power, instantly causing the girl to seize and stiffen her body in resistance.

He entered his conscious into her mind, not even beginning to use his sight yet. Just absorbing her emotions, which weren't well hidden.

He was being quite gentle, but he knew she wasn't used to the sensation. Sharing a consciousness with another person, having her mind pushed and prodded. She gritted her teeth in extreme discomfort.

But this was nothing compared to what he could do. With this frame of reference, he continued. "You're so lonely," he said softly, but he didn't need to search her mind to know that part.

He searched her feelings, the racing of her heart.

She'd been away from Jakku for too long. They could've come back for her, looking for her, only to find that she'd disappeared.

She might've lost her chance to find her family.

Every second she was trapped here was a waste of time. Every second she'd spent with Finn and Han Solo were keeping her from what was most important. She never should've taken in BB8 or she wouldn't be in this mess.

He started to use his sight now. He saw flashes: the tally marks on her wall, the long-dead flower on her nightstand, still kept in a vase as if it were precious. The pilot helmet she clung to like a childhood toy, her reluctance to look away from the sky.

His voice was soft and coaxing as he tried to ignore the pangs of despair and longing he felt. "So afraid to leave," he murmured. Her loneliness was a weight on her chest, making it difficult for her to sleep.

She lay awake for hours in the darkness of her home, knowing in her head she had to get a decent amount of rest or she wouldn't have the energy to scavenge for parts the next morning.

And no parts meant no food.

But she couldn't. The sandy wastelands of Jakku were freezing at night. She would place bags of sand and piles of scavenged parts that didn't make the cut for rations on either side of her cot, to give herself the illusion she was sleeping next to someone.

The interrogator let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. If she were his, he'd be able to ease her loneliness. She'd have nothing but dreams of blue seas and damp earth between her toes. If only she could've trusted him, she never would've felt alone again.

But instead, here they were, the last place he wanted to be. "At night…desperate to sleep," he said, and then he saw. "You imagine an ocean."

Of course she would. She loved the ocean. It was a cruel irony that she'd be sent away to a place where there wasn't a drop of water to rub between her fingers.

She'd loved it more than anything else. Above all things, he remembered that the most. "I see it," he confirmed, getting almost lost in her fantasy, her happy place. "I see the island," his tone was dreamy.

Her imagination was so vivid. He smelled the salt, tasted it on his tongue, felt the ocean breeze in his hair. Felt the bubble of seafoam pop against his ankles and the damp sand sink beneath his feet.

But his pleasant oasis came to a crashing halt as his father's face surfaced in his mind.

He saw the moments he'd craved for himself. Bonding over the millennium falcon, the mutually extensive knowledge of ships and the parts that made them work.

She was a knack with machines. Always had been.

"And Han Solo," he said, his tone suddenly neutral and emotionless, like he was talking about a stranger. "He's like the father you never had," he stated matter of factly. "He would've disappointed you," he reassured.

But she'd had it. Her cheeks were flushed with exertion, her hands were clenched into fists and her jaw remained taught as a bowstring. "Get out of my head," she demanded through gritted teeth.

He pulled away, stepping back, but keeping the mind connection open.

He wasn't done yet.

"You've seen the map," he repeated, reminding her of why she was here. "It's in there. And now you'll give it to me."

He'd wasted time. He's let his emotions for her influence his actions. He could've had the map already. He didn't want to cause her pain.

But she wasn't giving him a choice.

His arm was still outstretched.

"I'm not giving you anything," she said sharply, with obvious effort.

She was still fighting him, more than the rebel pilot had been able to do.

She had a strong mind. He couldn't help admiring that.

"We'll see," he whispered softly, confident in his abilities.

He leaned too close to her though. He'd nearly brushed her cheek with the tips of his gloved fingers.

Despite the fact he hadn't, she gasped anyway, her cheeks flushing as a shudder passed through her.

Kylo wished he had his mask on. Without it, his heart was an open book. He'd never been able to mask his emotions the way she could.

Without it, she'd seen his eyes. The way he was looking at her. She'd seen how he'd reacted to it too. He pulled away only slightly, startled by how close he'd gotten to her. But his energy had brushed gently past her own and it stabbed him with such a pang of familiarity he trembled.

The sensation was all-consuming, overcoming every cell.

 _This energy…_

It was more intimate than touching her could ever be. "Don't be afraid, I feel it too," he whispered, letting her have this one piece of him.

That was the moment he was overcome.

He was smitten. After this damn interrogation, he'd give her anything. He'd be anything she wanted. Guardian, comrade, lover…

His fantasies were dashed in seconds.

There was a solid barrier in his path.

It may as well have been made of stone, there was no penetrating it.

He was stunned out of his dreamy reverie, powerless to do more than look upon her in astonishment and hurt.

He'd felt something. She'd felt it too. But she was choosing to ignore it, shutting him out.

She'd put a barrier on her mind.

And suddenly she was pushing back.

 _No,_ he thought. She couldn't. She'd see his conflict, she'd see his isolation. How the light beckoned to him like the succubus it was.

He put forth more effort. He wasn't holding back now.

He couldn't let her.

But to his horror, he was still being pushed.

His eyes widened in frustration as she grew in power.

She was stretching muscles she'd just discovered. There was an excess of energy hitting him so hard it was blinding.

He stretched his fingers till they were stiff as boards, desperate to stop this.

But despite his years of training and her ridiculous lack of experience, she was fighting him.

And she was winning.

He pleaded with her.

 _Stop,_ he warned, breathing hard with effort.

Her presence in his mind was subtle and soft, like a drop of rain against your skin.

His instinct was to give in to it. Amplify these sensations and get swept into them.

He was frozen, helpless to do anything but push against her in vain.

"You," she said in surprise, "You're afraid."

 _No, don't,_ he was screaming it, completely caught off guard by this invasion.

She was going to vocalize the fear he'd held inside him for the past decade.

She couldn't. It wasn't fair. He hadn't even admitted to himself. It was the one lie he allowed himself to tell.

The girl would tear him apart. Ruin him. Crush him.

He begged her with his eyes, visibly straining against her.

She said it anyway.

"That you'll never be as strong as Darth Vader!"

He cut off the connection, withdrawing his arm and clutching it to his chest as if she'd burned him.

He'd taken a few steps back, suddenly needing all the distance he could get from this girl.

Kylo Ren's eyes were no doubt fearful, his whole body rattled. It was then he remembered he wasn't wearing his mask.

She saw it all.

His shock and horror, the betrayal stamped on his face.

She hadn't looked away, as though she was reveling in her newfound power.

She'd done the unforgivable.

Put his vulnerability on display, triumphing in his weakness, reducing him to a hyperventilating mess, drops of sweat clinging to the back of his neck.

He should've been furious. He should've killed her right then and there.

But all he could bring himself to feel was devastation and despair.

It rolled off of him in waves as he slowly drowned in it.

She cleared her throat like she was embarrassed. "I t-told you to – "

The girl stopped dead when he shot her a glare from across the room, pooling and spilling over with an emotion she couldn't name.

She had an expression on her face like she felt somewhat regretful for doing this to him. But he blinked and all traces of it dissipated.

"Keeping me here is a mistake," she said in monotone, lacking any emotion.

It infuriated him.

"They'll come back for me," she said, but with more conviction this time. "And they'll come back with friends."

How could she do that? Talk to him as though he were an adversary, like nothing had passed between them?

Kylo Ren raised a hand and clenched his fist.

The restraints on her wrists and ankles popped open, allowing her to move freely.

She immediately darted away from him to the other corner of the room. To her surprise, he'd made no move towards her.

In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the distance.

"You speak to me as though I'm an enemy," he stated flatly, voicing an unasked question, reluctantly making eye contact.

She scowled. "Why would you be anything otherwise?"

His eyes narrowed.

He snapped.

The fuming man made it across the room in just a few long strides, inches from her face like he'd been before.

She braced herself for another psychic attack, but it didn't come.

Instead, he only gazed into her eyes with that same intensity. "You don't have to trust me," he whispered, choosing his words carefully. "You don't have to like me."

She glared him down, refusing to show weakness.

But her heart hammered in her chest at having someone so close to her.

His breath tickled the tip of her nose. She was close enough to see the curve of his lashes, the reddish tint to his mouth.

He raised his hand, but only to gesture to the space between them, what little of it there was left. "But do not act as though there is nothing here," he said darkly. "Do not lie."

Color rose to the girl's cheeks and her hands fidgeted with nervousness, but she didn't back down.

"The very least we can be to each other is honest," he stated as if he were scolding her.

What did he mean, _the very least they could be_?

Was he saying he wanted to be more? She didn't like him referring to them both as if they were a collective. They weren't to be grouped together as though they were friends.

She was speechless.

"Of all the things I've done," he insisted, his voice soft but radiating emotion, "I've never deceived you."

She had no logical way of knowing if this was a true statement, but there was nothing in his gaze to indicate that he was lying. "People don't mask themselves unless they have something to hide," she muttered. Her counter statement was a small victory.

Somehow, due to his close proximity, the gentleness of his voice, and the rawness of his emotions, Rey was frozen where she stood, despite being free.

She was captivated, and at the same time outraged by this man.

Any form of intelligible response to him was a miracle.

He swallowed, emotions exposed once again. "Do you see it now?" he asked, his eyes so stubborn and unwavering.

And just like that she was back to square one.

Rey was horrified to find she was short of breath, unable to look away from the dark brown of this man's eyes. He was drinking her in as though she were color or oxygen.

It was bewitching.

She hadn't been expecting this from the monster. This…vulnerability, this blatant evidence of humanity and his struggle to fight it.

The battles he'd lost against it.

His eyes strayed from hers to look down at her mouth.

It was so fast she could've missed it if she weren't paying attention.

She bit down on her lip nervously in response.

If he laid a hand on her…

She could tell he desperately wanted to.

His lips were parted slightly as if the close proximity was affecting him just as much as her.

The energy between them was an electric whirring buzz so breathtaking she could hear it.

He could easily close the gap between them, crash his mouth against hers, sweep her up into his arms and have his way with her.

She could feel his want…his desire…

He rose a gloved hand to her face.

She flinched, gritting her teeth, expecting another invasion.

But he simply brushed a finger over her cheek, letting the tip of one of his fingers rest on her bottom lip, where she'd bitten it.

The contact made her shudder and gasp with shock. She hadn't expected that. He hadn't done anything like this up until now.

Color rose to her cheeks almost instantaneously.

No one had treated her like this before.

His hand had cupped her face in a soft caress, the musky smell of the leather filling her nose and flooding her senses.

Their eyes were locked. Despite the fact he'd kidnapped her and held her against her will, she didn't see hatred or darkness in his eyes.

Only this maddening fervor, a need to be close to her. As close as possible.

Without realizing it, Rey had been leaning forward slightly, the lids of her eyes half-lidded, almost feeling the tip of his nose against hers.

She'd forgotten about the others. Finn, BB8, Han Solo and Moz...her mind was blank.

But something in his eyes changed, like he'd just recalled something.

To her shock, he pulled away.

The sudden loss of warmth and contact sent a shiver through her.

Let free from the spell, she immediately looked down, closing her eyes and trying to shut out the feeling that had come over her.

But she found herself biting down on her lip because he hadn't, and her face was hot, warm from the echo of his soft glove against her skin.

The tip of her tongue still tasted like leather.

She'd breathed out with a heavy sigh. But it hadn't been one of relief, it was one of disappointment.

He'd withdrawn.

And she was _disappointed._

She scowled at herself.

Kylo Ren's mouth became a hard line, like he was trying to get rid of an impression or memory. "Damn Hux," he muttered under his breath.

The word was foreign to her. But it seemed like he was distracted by something. A matter he needed to address or a problem he needed to solve.

Her thought process unraveled when he made eye contact with her again.

With all the softness she'd found in his voice, he reached a hand up to brush a strand of hair out of her face, and place it behind her ear.

The girlish instincts that were surfacing only now screamed at her to lean into his warmth, and allow herself to be encompassed by his large, towering form.

It was a physical effort to fight them. Almost harder than fighting _him_.

But after stroking her cheek one last time, he withdrew his hand and slowly lumbered over to make his exit.

"I have no intention of harming you," he said flatly. He stepped towards the hanger door, typing in a code. Before stepping out of it he said over his shoulder with a wounded tone, "I'm the only one on this entire freighter who can say that."

With those final words, he exited the cell, the electronic door slamming behind him, leaving Rey in the cold and silence.


	2. Chapter 2

Rey wrapped her arms around herself, gasping for air.

Her hands were shaking, her blood roaring in her ears, the beat of her heart erratic and loud.

What _was_ this?

Adrenaline was coursing through her veins. Even when she'd been running for her life through Jakku's Black Markets, it hadn't felt like this.

His brown eyes boring into her soul, seeing more than he'd seen while he was in her mind.

Why did he stop?

What would have happened if he _hadn't_ stopped?

Was he…going to…

A hand went to her mouth at the thought.

Did she _want_ him to?

But…

Her thoughts jumped to Finn.

She'd thought maybe…

But she swallowed, tears springing to her eyes.

She'd thought he was a hero. A great warrior of the Resistance.

She even considered…maybe after returning BB8 to the Resistance that she could've joined him…they could've…

But he'd lied to her.

He wasn't a revered Resistance fighter, he wasn't even a loyal soldier. He'd been a lying coward just trying to flee from the First Order, and he had no problem with leaving her behind to complete BB8's reconnaissance mission by herself.

Finn probably wasn't even his real name.

She gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to cry.

She thought maybe he'd cared for her.

But Finn was gone. He'd taken his first chance to make it to the outer rim, and didn't look back.

Finn didn't care, and now she had bigger problems.

Rey took a deep breath and sighed, trying to get herself together.

She could still feel his glove on her face.

He'd taken her hostage.

But what he'd said was true.

 _Of all the things I've done, I've never deceived you._

She bit back his words, despite the fact they were fighting their way through her mind.

 _I have no intention of harming you._

She audibly groaned with frustration, clasping her head in her hands.

 _Stop this_ , she told herself.

She was a hostage of the First Order. Regardless of how gentle her captor could be, he was still her captor.

Now that he was out of the room, she could finally think clearly.

Rey focused on regulating her breathing.

He claimed to have no desire to hurt her, but it would only be a matter of time before he'd come back for round two of interrogating the scavenger.

And his previous methods didn't work.

She remembered the heat from the tip of his light saber just inches from her eyes.

He was a loose cannon. He couldn't be trusted.

And he'd took it upon himself to stroll through her mind like it was a garden on Naboo.

Maybe next time he'd try something worse.

She lowered her hands so her arms were at her sides, more focused.

She knew two things for certain.

One, if she could get her hands on a ship, she'd be in the clear and maybe even make it to the Illenium system after she installed a cloaker over the TIE fighter's tracking software.

And two…she'd seen Kylo type in that code.

She marched over to the haul door without a second thought.

Her fingers mirrored the motion of his.

5-2-7-7-5.

To her astonishment, the door slid open with a satisfying metallic clang.

Her heart pounded as she soundlessly crept through the hallways, unsure of the direction she was going but desperate to get away from that cell.

Step 1, hack into a monitor so she could find the blue prints of the freighter.

Step 2, acquire a weapon.

Step 3 –

But she was body slammed by a shiny silver blaster before she could get that far.

Rey was pinned between the cold ground and the sharp body of the weapon, pressure unbearably sharp on her lungs.

Without her staff, she was defenseless. A worm under someone's shoe.

She could fight off smugglers and thugs on Jakku, but she was no match against a trained soldier. The storm trooper loomed over her as if she were a rat he'd found eating his lunch, full of disgust and hatred.

"Get back in your cell, Scavenger Scum," he said in a gravely tone.

All she saw was the butt of the gun before everything went black.

~.~

This wasn't good.

Supreme Leader Snoke wanted to see the Scavenger Girl.

That could only mean one thing.

He wanted her to join them.

But the Prince of Darkness had seen her heart.

She would never do it.

Which meant she would die.

Kylo was practically running down the long, metallic halls of the Star Killer Base to get back to her Cell.

He'd put the helmet back on. He couldn't let his inferiors see him so emotionally compromised.

He'd tried. Kylo suggested that he continue interrogating her himself. "I just need your guidance," his own words echoed in his ear, but in vain.

 _If what you say about this girl is true...bring. Her. To. Me._

He had to get her off this battle station if he wanted her to live. He could try convincing her to join him later. She was relentlessly headstrong and rigid, so it would take more time to coax her into turning.

But he could do it.

Kylo couldn't get there fast enough.

He sighed bitterly, resentful.

She'd resisted him. So stubborn, so full of raw talent and drive.

It was simultaneously frustrating and exhilarating.

He couldn't blame Snoke for wanting her to join their ranks.

She was special. Of _course_ she was special. He'd known that the moment she spoke like twinkling stars.

The girl…no… _Rey_. Rey was so… _there_ , now. In every cell of his being, consuming every thought.

Perhaps he'd just been using the wrong approach, after all.

He looked down at his hand, remembering when he'd used it to hold her face.

He'd seen the change in her eyes.

He'd felt the girl shudder beneath his touch, startled and violated and cherished all at once.

She'd been ready to give in.

He'd done all the right things. He'd submitted to the feelings Skywalker forbade him from having.

Passion, desire, want, need…

He'd laid it all out in front of her, bore his entire self. He'd been hers.

And for an ecstatic moment, she'd almost been his.

But he scowled, growling with frustration.

Damn Hux. Damn Snoke. Damn everything.

He tried to slow his pace as he stalked down the hall.

He just had to do it again. Rekindle the crackling flame that had been between them just moments before, treat her with the same care and gentility that made her quiver.

But all in good time.

He needed to get her off this Death Machine before Snoke sensed his true intentions.

Her face and the warmth of her bottom lip under his thumb were his only thoughts as he got closer.

The world slowed down to a snail's pace as he approached the hanger only to see an open door and an empty chair.

For a moment, all he could hear was his own breathing in his ears, uneven and short.

"No," he muttered quietly, pain shooting through his heart like an icicle.

He'd been so close.

He'd had her.

She'd looked at him with those eyes…

It wasn't fair.

No," he groaned louder, on the verge of tears or a breakdown.

He circled the chair, as if maybe the longer he stared at it, the more he'd be able to see her, open and at his mercy once again.

She was here.

He'd only been gone minutes.

This couldn't be it. It just _wasn't fair._

But then there was nothing but rage.

Pure, blinding rage.

Flashes of red and the sounds of his lightsaber filled the room at the same pace as his grief and frustration. "GAAAAHHHH!" He outburst, uncaring as sparks from the protesting metal and the fiery light scorched bits of his uniform.

She was gone.

He'd literally had her between his fingers. She'd been putty in his hands as he muttered sweet things to her in the darkness. The promises he'd wanted to make.

And now he'd lost her.

Again.

He'd been so. Damn. Close.

He cried out again as the chair that had been used to restrain her was reduced to a pile of matter and ashes, still hissing with steam.

How could she. She knew. She knew! She'd seen his heart, open and aching for her. How could she do this to him? He'd seen her dreams, the Island she loved and she made him love it too. She'd made him practically sway on his feet with desire for her, for those soft lips and the delectable nape of her neck.

This was worse than exposing him. So much worse.

He wailed in agony with every strike, not even stopping for a breath.

She couldn't reject him like this. She just couldn't. There wouldn't be another girl like her. Not if he looked for a thousand years.


	3. Chapter 3

**Update: So while I was writing this, I had a theory that Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) and Rey had trained together with Luke as children, and that was why it was so imperative that Kylo Ren find Rey and capture her. Because in** _ **Force Awakens**_ **, he hunted her down and eventually immobilized her in the forest on Takodana, all** _ **way before**_ **he knew she had seen the map he was looking for. In other words, he wanted to find her and get her** _ **anyway**_ **, regardless of his obligations to Supreme Leader Snoke. The fact she'd seen the map that BB8 had was just an added bonus, but it was never the initial reason he went looking for her. So then it begged the question,** _ **why did he care about her so much?**_ **And about locating her? Now of course we've all seen** _ **Last Jedi**_ **and we know my theory he'd known her from training with Luke is false. That theory was shot down faster than the Dreadnought in TLJ (then again you could say that about literally** _ **anything else.**_ **) But I digress. Because it was a theory of mine I enjoyed, and because this is fan fiction, I've decided to stick with my current course and take creative liberty to give you guys an interesting story. Especially since I see fanfics about Ben and Rey arguing about whether Apple or Microsoft is better in cafés in Paris. (Don't ask. You come across the weirdest shit at 2am.) So with out further ado, here's the treacherously long overdo update on A Mysterious Connection.**

 **Xero**

Rey woke up, once again, panicked.

She scowled. The fact she woke up expecting to be bound and in handcuffs was becoming a major problem.

This time she was in a…room?

She quickly scanned the area for buttons, a control panel…

Her face paled as she took in her surroundings.

There was nothing. The walls and floor were seamless, rounded like she was in some giant bowl. There were no corners, as if the cell had been constructed by the same piece.

But that was impossible.

She ran frantically to the walls, feeling with her finger tips for a crease or break in the metal, a screw, _anything._

But there wasn't even a door.

She swallowed down her nervousness, brushing her hair back from her face.

That didn't make sense. The only way this could've worked is if they built the cell around her while she was unconscious, which was completely ridiculous.

Who would go through the trouble of doing such a thing just for some lowly scavenger that Jakku had coughed up?

She wasn't an established member of The Resistance, or a deserter, or honestly anyone of interest to The First Order.

She gasped. Except for the fact she was now a force user.

Somehow.

And she'd managed to out force-probe Kylo Ren himself.

She flushed with awkwardness.

But he hadn't seemed angered by that. Mostly just…betrayed. Hurt.

Would he really have been wounded enough to do this to her?

But then his words echoed in her mind.

 _I have no intention of harming you. I'm the only person on this entire Base who can say that._

Maybe it was simply because he didn't have a choice. He couldn't get what he wanted from her, couldn't control her mind.

She wasn't like a regular prisoner.

She was dangerous. A few words and a head nod would be enough for her to overpower a guard and snag a ship.

Or do worse.

Maybe that was why she was getting special treatment.

Rey sat down in a pretzel on the ground with a sigh, hugging herself.

 _No,_ she thought, _Somehow I know this isn't Ren's doing. This was…_

And it came back to her.

That guard in the hallway.

The strong scent of gun oil and metal in her nostrils, the throbbing of her head from where she was hit. She glanced into the shiny reflective surface of her container.

It was hard to make out, but there was red where her forehead was supposed to be.

He'd made her bleed.

Her eyes got misty and her throat stung. She wiped away what would've fallen from her eyes with frustration.

She'd been safer in that cell.

Kylo would've never done this to her.

When he'd touched her there was a gentility and affection she couldn't put a name to. He'd been almost…tender.

Like she was someone he knew, or cared about.

But she couldn't dwell on that now.

There was only one thing to do.

She laid down and took deep breathes, closing her eyes, relaxing.

Prisoners got food and water, right? There were meal times for…inmates.

Which meant _eventually,_ a guard was going to come…somehow…and that was when she'd make her move.

She made herself the picture of calm, almost calm enough to appear asleep.

Now all she had to do was wait.

~.~

Kylo laid down on his bed in his chambers, sulking.

She was smart. Brilliant. A capable fighter, strong with the Force…knowing her, she was gone.

Lost to him.

Forever.

 _No,_ he scolded himself.

He had to calm down and think. For once, anger and hatred was not going to help him in this situation.

He closed his eyes and meditated, focusing on regulating his breathing.

Gradually, he got his heart to slow, and he opened his eyes, relaxed from head to toe.

Now, to think.

His aim was to focus on not that she was gone, but where she would have gone.

The first option was obvious. Jakku.

To play her waiting game.

But it was never going to happen.

Her parents sold her into slavery, paid to have her memory wiped and all so that they could rid their hands of her and drink their lives away gambling.

They initially thought of dumping her with Luke, to be trained. But once she proved too powerful to control, she'd been plopped in the most remote desert planet her parents could think of.

To him, it was illogical to have any desire to return to that hell hole of a planet.

But to her it meant everything.

The second option was running to the Resistance.

Either way, she never would've made it off this base without a ship.

He sat up, walked over to the communication console and tapped into the intercom. "This is Master Ren, I need an update on all Escape Pods, Cruisers, Destroyers, and TIE Fighters that have been unaccounted for in the past four hours."

A response was instantaneous. _"Captain Phasma, checking in with all quadrants of the Base, Master Ren. You'll receive an update shortly."_

Ren sat back in his chair. It annoyed him, but Hux was a necessary sin. His army served as staff and intelligence on Star Killer Base, as well as any other ventures Snoke wished to embark on.

Without Snoke's guidance and Hux's resources, it never would've been possible for Kylo to make it this far.

He owed it to them to find Rey, and get her to join their side.

Or at least that's what he told himself.

But Ren was jarred from his thoughts at the sound of a beep on the intercom. He pressed the button immediately. "An update?" He asked, a spark of hope in his heart.

" _Sir, all Cruisers, Destroyers, Pods and Vehicles in general are checked in and accounted for."_

He sat back in his chair, frowning. That didn't make sense.

He pressed the button again. "Are you absolutely certain, Captain?"

" _Yes, Master Ren. That's what's showing up on our interface. None of the locators or trackers have been hacked or tampered with, Sir_."

Kylo shot up out of his chair and shuddered, gawking at the Console.

That meant she didn't leave.

She was still here.

Oh wait. But…

He pressed the button again. "What about unidentified or unlicensed ships entering our atmosphere?"

She could've been picked up. Which would be worse case scenario.

That meant she was probably with the Resistance in the Ilenium System, which was the place they would be aiming to destroy in approximately four days, once the weapon was charged.

She'd be dead. Incinerated.

But Phasma's voice snapped him out of his reverie. _"Nothing has made it onto the base, Sir. Everything is secure."_

His paranoia got the better of him.

Phasma could currently be held at gun point, being _forced_ to say that.

He typed in a code and pressed the button to activate a monitor so he could get a visual on Plasma's location.

But she was standing in the control center, looking at the monitors as usual.

Everything was fine.

Rey hadn't escaped.

She truly was still here…somewhere.

But what could he do? If she was found she'd be immediately brought to Snoke.

Which was also a problem.

He had to find her himself.  
He pressed the intercom button again. "I need the status on all holding cells."

Phasma coughed on the other line. _"_ _ **All**_ _of them?!"_ She asked, baffled. _"But there's_ _ **thousands**_ _of – "_

"– Did my tone at any point indicate that this was _negotiable_ , Captain?" Kylo snapped.

Phasma cleared her throat. _"Of course not, Sir. I'll get it to you as soon as I can."_

Kylo had to backtrack though. If he was a jerk to Phasma, it would no doubt get to Hux, and he didn't want to be reprimanded for it by Snoke.

He sighed. "If it helps, I just need the Status on the holding cells that have been occupied recently. For example, in the last 24 hours. All the others are inconsequential."

Phasma sighed. _"That does help quite a great deal, Sir. Thank you. I'll have it to you as soon as possible."_

The intercom went silent.

He sighed with anxiety. So she was still here, but unfindable at the moment. He could try to concentrate and find her energy through the Force, but he didn't really have the patience at the moment and there was a chance she learned how to block her energy signature by now.

He could be wasting a lot of time for nothing.

This was his best option.

He glared at the intercom, concentrating all of his anguish and fury at the damn –

Ren pressed the button at the sound of a beep.

" _Sir, may I ask why it is urgent that I get you this information? Do we have an escaped prisoner? Are we compromised?"  
_

Kylo scowled. "No you may not, no we do not, and no we are not."

" _I wouldn't be asking…it's just this is a rather unusual request. Is General Hux involved in this procedure? Perhaps if we asked for his assistance, this process would take less – "_

"– Captain, I assure you if you're not interested in doing your job without any help, then I can find someone more qualified to replace you who _is."_

" _Technically, my job is training and handling storm troopers, not to be your secretary."_

He didn't have time for this. " _Yes_ Hux is informed of the situation," he lied, raising his voice, "And believe me, if you don't do as you're told you won't even be doing _that_ because you'll be too busy _writhing on the floor in agony_!"

Was that a threat? Yes. Did he care? No. Should he have? Probably.

No fear or cowering, just a cool response. _"Understood."_

The intercom went quiet again.

Ten minutes went by.

And the young man groaned with impatience.

He suddenly regretted imprisoning so many people.

Ren rubbed his temples, trying to coax an impending headache to dissolve and cease.

He instinctually knew this was going to take a while.

~.~

Rey moaned in pain, her back and shoulder stiff from laying on her side for so long.

But then her heart raced and she jolted up when Rey realized she had fallen asleep.

"No," she couldn't help but vocalize.

Her eyes darted around the room.

There was no tray of food or a trace of water anywhere.

She didn't know how long she'd been out, but considering the dryness in her mouth and the crust crumbs that had formed in the corners of her eyes, she assumed it could've been at least five hours.

For the first time, she allowed her eyes to wander upwards, to the corners of the room. Her other cell had surveillance, cameras in the corners, ventilation…but this room didn't have anything.

Why were there no cameras? What if the occupant was planning an escape or damaging the cell? Wouldn't they care?

Now she started to panic.

Because now she knew why she was here.

She wasn't a regular prisoner, that was for certain.

Rey was a force user who refused to join them.

Which meant she was not only dangerous, but useless to them.

She pounded the walls with fury when the realization dawned on her slowly and painfully.

They had no intention of feeding her.

They put her in a door-less cell for a reason.

She had been dumped.

To be forgotten.

They were killing her in the only way they could.

By starving her.

She started to hyperventilate, her body shivering with the adrenaline that her panicking was causing.

This was bad. This was very very bad.

She remembered all too well the sensation of being hungry.

Very very hungry.

And worse.

Being thirsty.

She cried outwardly at the thought.

The thirst would kill her first.

No. There had to be something. Every object, ship or cell, had a weakness.

She took a different tactic.

All she'd been paying attention to were the walls _around_ her.

But the floor _beneath_ her…

She got down on all fours, crawling and exploring the space.

Oddly, there were small, circular holes about a hands' width apart from each other.

She licked her finger and pressed one to one of the holes.

Was it for air?

But she didn't feel a draft of any kind.

She grimaced, regretful for wasting any kind of moisture.

She stuck a finger in and clawed with her nail, trying to pry up a piece of the floor.

But the floor wasn't made of panels, it was as smooth and seamless as the walls.

She sighed, wiping sweat from her forehead.

This was stupid. She was wasting water and energy by panicking and fumbling around like this.

 _Calm down,_ she thought to herself. _What's next?_

Below and around didn't work.

What about _up_?

She looked directly above her, and finally, she found it.

There was a round indentation in the ceiling, enough for one person to fit through.

A porthole.

A door.

"So that's how they did it," she mumbled to herself. "They dropped me down into this place."

She knew at the start this would be futile.

But she couldn't help it. It was human instinct.

She leaped for the circular indentation. The echo of what she _knew_ in her heart was a door.

But it was useless. Her height was short to begin with, and the ceiling was several heads above her.

There was no way to reach it.

But she held onto this small beacon of hope, looming above her.

"There's a way," she said out loud, to assure herself. "There's always a way." Her eyes were now fixed on the ceiling, pooling with determination.

There was a way.

She just hadn't found it yet.

~.~

Kylo was startled from sleep at the repetitive beeping of the communication intercom. He pressed the button. "Report?" he said, his voice hoarse from slumber. "And how long has it been since I requested this information?" But his voice lacked malice or annoyance, he just genuinely didn't know.

" _Sir, it's been six hours. I apologize, it's just that's how long it took me to look check all of the surveillance monitors."_

Kylo waved his hand to shut her up, even though she couldn't see him. "What did you find?"

Phasma continued. _"There are 342 prisoners in Sector 4XCE, 120 of which have executions scheduled at some point for tomorrow. All 342 prisoners are in their cells and accounted for."_ Her voice was chipper and cheerful, like the prospect delighted her.

Kylo rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I just need you to inform me of any irregularities."

Phasma scoffed on the intercom _. "Very well,"_ she said, an obvious undertone of irritation present.

On some level, Kylo could understand searching through 6 hours' worth of papers and data to be an unbearably tedious task that Phasma obviously wanted to due credit for doing, especially since it's technically not in her job description.

But he just didn't care.

He needed his girl.

Badly.

 _She has to go,_ Luke's words echoed in his head.

He gritted his teeth, fighting the memory from surfacing.

 _NO!_ He cried, sobbing and beating Luke's chest with his fists. _"You can't take her from me!"_

He needed to find her. She was his focal point and without her his world would continue to spin and spiral out of control.

" _There was a heat signature in cell 2718 that is no longer present. It appears someone typed in the release code from the inside. But that should've been impossible, since that holding cell is equipped with a metal stretcher containing built-in handcuffs, so unless the prisoner was to be set loose, and somehow knew the code – "_

Kylo gasped softly, undetectable from the intercom. _That must've been how she escaped_ , he thought. She paid attention to him as he typed in the code to exit.

So it was his own fault she was set loose.

His heart sank at the realization she'd taken her first chance to escape. From this place.

From him.

It stung.

Phasma continued. _"There were two heat signatures at seventeen hundred hours. One typed in the code then exited at 17:36, leaving one in the holding cell. Then two minutes later, it was entered in again, also from the inside, and now there is no heat signature present. There also appears to be heavy damage alerts on our interface of the equipment and surroundings of the inside of cell 2718. Shall I pull up the surveillance footage from that period of time?_

Kylo flushed instantly with color. "No," was his immediate, unthought-out response. He cleared his throat and crossed his legs with nervousness.

He knew what would be on the surveillance tapes.

Her big brown eyes came up in his mind, how it felt to touch her face, hear her ragged breathing.

And then his… _tantrum._

"That cell I already know the status of," he said, immediately needing to get off the subject. "Anything else?" he prompted.

" _Yes, oddly enough,"_ she began. _"In Hux's jurisdiction there is an FLDT cell that has a heat signature inside but the cell was not checked out via standard protocol. And as far as I know, I never received any orders from General Hux for a prisoner to occupy one of his FLDTs."_

 _No,_ his heart dropped to his stomach. _FLDT?_

He couldn't help it. His voice cracked. "Are there any scheduled fillings for that cell?!" He asked frantically.

Phasma's cool reply were knives to his heart. _"As a matter of fact, yes. There is a filling and a cleanup scheduled for 30 minutes from now."_

"NO!" Ren screamed. "Cancel it! Override the system and shut down the filling for that holding cell!"

" _It's automated, Sir. A program has to be launched to override the filling, and it must be done in advance. It usually takes two hours. I'm afraid even if I started up the program now – "_

"– Phasma, do whatever it takes to cancel that filling. This is a direct order and if you fail there will be irrevocable consequences," he said through gritted teeth.

He put his boots back on, slipped on his gloves and slid his saber into the hilt on his side, bolting from his chambers, not bothering with the mask.

Hux's jurisdiction was on the opposite side of the base.

But it didn't matter.

He bolted down the halls to the hanger at lightning speed, practically flying down the stairs to slide into the driver's seat of his TIE, the Silencer.

He didn't even bother with a seat belt as he switched on the toggles and started up the ship's drive.

Memories came flooding back.

The way she curled against him when she was asleep.

The smell of her hair as a child. Like sunshine and flowers.

He looked out of his visor with determination and fury. "I'm not gonna lose you again," he muttered to himself. "Not this time."


	4. Chapter 4

**Side note: For those of you who've been following me for a while, you know that I have an internal soundtrack for every story I write. So FYI, I'll be posting a playlist under my profile on Youtube for Reylo if you guys wanna check it out. Basically the Playlist is a dialogue between Rey and Kylo/Ben. The first song lyric-wise doesn't have anything to do with the story, but the feeling it gave me when I listened to it conjured images in my head of Kylo and Rey together, and it was honestly the spark that lit the fire that wrote this story. (Ha ha…references…ah, I kill me). But anyways, if you have any questions about the song choice, or anything else, you're more than welcome to hit me up.**

 **Xero**

 **P.S. I'll include the link and the Set List at the End of this Chapter.**

As he made his way to the other side of the Base, through the snowy landscape, Kylo did the only thing he could think of.

He reached out to her.

Rey concentrated the best she could. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, her eyes closed, reaching with her mind.

Her only option was to rise to the top of the cell to get to the porthole door.

If all the legends about the Force and the Jedi were true…

She focused on her goal. The need to survive. The instinctive drive to escape and run.

She'd risen from the ground only a few inches.

But it was working.

She grinned, working not to break her streak.

Slowly, she was rising.

She stretched out her arms, waiting to feel the ceiling.

Her fingertips brushed the cold, smooth surface of metal –

 _Rey,_ the voice said, panicked and loud in her mind.

She gasped.

And fell eight feet onto the hard floor.

"Blast!" she exclaimed, curling up in a ball to absorb the pain.

His heart leaped out of his chest.

Yes! She hadn't blocked herself from him.

 _Where are you?_ He asked, parking the Silencer on a landing pad before jumping out.

He started running in the direction of the Holding Facility.

But then he froze.

Kylo realized Phasma had never specified which FLDT cell had a heat signature.

And come to think of it, there had been no confirmation that the heat signature was from Rey, he'd simply assumed.

 _No no, don't do this,_ he thought _. Not now. Think positive._

" _You know I can hear you,"_ she thought back, a hint of anger and displeasure in her tone.

But Kylo couldn't hold back his face-splitting grin. She was speaking to him. He'd found her.

Sort of.

He continued speaking to her with his mind. _I'm trying to find you. You're in danger._

 _I was in danger the moment you brought me to this damn place,_ she pointed out.

He sighed. _"Describe your surroundings."_

" _I was so close to breaking out by myself! I would've if you hadn't shattered my concentration."_

Kylo groaned. Ugh, she was as stubborn as ever. It was no use. She was going to die.

 _I CAN STILL HEAR YOU!_ She shouted, making him clutch his skull in agony.

"Don't YELL at me, I'm trying to HELP you!" He yelled back out loud.

A few stormtroopers stared at him, slowly backing away.

He flushed bright red, continuing to run. _"We don't have much time. It looks like you're inside a giant metal fishbowl, right?"_

There was a long pause.

But then she replied _. "Yes."_

Kylo finally made it.

It was an immeasurably large hanger that went on for miles.

The cell entrances were in the floor. But out of the hundreds of thousands of these portholes…

Which one?

He growled outwardly, frustrated. "Dammit," he muttered out loud.

 _"What is it?"_

He mentally sent her an image of what he was seeing.

He felt a bristle of energy from her. An emotion.

Fear.

" _Oh, I see,"_ she said, her confidence dissipated. _"Um…"_

Kylo closed his eyes and thought.

When the architects and engineers built this place, each porthole door was designed to correspond with a particular entry in the floor. Every set of hinges was unique.

For each door to be attached to the correct prison cell…

"Look around you," Kylo opened his eyes. "Is there a number anywhere?"

" _A number? What in the world are you – "_

" – L-Like-like a serial number or a jumble of letters. Something, _anything,_ from the manufacturer."

" _I - "_ But the connection cut off.

He lost her energy source.

"No," he whispered out loud.

It was too quick. She couldn't be dead yet.

"Rey!" He yelled out loud.

And then there was nothing but screams.

It was a strange sensation this time. Having him in her head. But instead of him going through her cupboards and drawers, he was sitting in her living room, visiting.

In a manner of speaking.

" _Look around you,"_ his voice echoed in her head. _"Is there a number anywhere?"_

"A number?" she mumbled out loud. But there was nothing. She'd spent the last hour or so scoping every inch of the place and she saw nothing. "What in the world are you – GAAH!"

She jumped at the sound of rushing water. But where was it coming from?

Suddenly her feet were wet.

She looked down.

And then Rey started breathing hard and screaming. "NOOOO!" Tears were flowing freely now.

The holes were spraying water into her cell. Every last one.

And it was pooling at her feet.

Fast.

"No no no," she whimpered, hugging herself.

She couldn't do this. Of all the ways they chose to kill her…

" _REY!"_ The cry came through.

She whined outwardly but threw a hand over her mouth to stop herself. _"There's water,"_ she cried, unable to keep the panic out of her voice, even in her own mind.

" _I know, I know. Look for a number."_

 _"Why the bloody hell do you give a damn about some stupid – "_

" _Look up at the door!"_ He cut her off.

She tore her eyes from the floor to look up.

She squinted, trying to see from the bottom of her cell.

"There um," she said, her voice hoarse. "T-t-there is a n-number but I can't see it. It's too far away."

" _Can you at least tell me what the first number is in the sequence?"_ She was sensing panic in his voice too.

She tried.

But it was just too damn far.

She took a deep breath, calming herself down. "I'm gonna need you to stay out of my head for a minute," she said, glaring at the door, wiping her eyes.

There was radio silence.

She tried again.

What she was doing before.

She needed to escape. She needed to reach the door. It was the only way she was going to live.

Slowly, gradually, her body began to rise.

Her lithe form was rod straight, gradually rising to the top of the cell.

The long number was coming into focus.

It had been finely engraved into the hanger door, probably by a laser.

But she finally saw it.

And then she fell.

There was a loud crash and a splash as she fell this time. "UUGHH!" She cried as the wind was knocked out of her.

The water level was up to her waist.

And her energy was completely spent as she gasped for air, her knees shaking. "I saw it," she rasped. "4QSW33."

" _I'm coming,"_ his tone had changed from being panicked and stressed to determined and focused.

The rushing water was up to her breasts. "K-Kylo, I c-can't s-swim," she whispered, unable to stop herself from crying.

" _Yes you can,"_ his calm response was unnerving.

"I'm from a _desert_ planet, I don't know how to – "

"– _You_ _ **do**_ _know how, you just…don't remember."_

"NO I don't!" She full on bawling now. "I never learned how – "

" _Rey, listen to me. I'm coming."_

It was up to her neck. "K-K-Kylo p-p-pplease…" her voice was weak and defeated.

" _I'm almost there. All you have to do is kick your feet and move your arms."_

"I never learned how," she said.

" _Let me inside your mind,"_ he demanded.

Rey was only speaking telepathically now, since her mouth was underwater. _"You_ _ **are**_ _in my mind,"_ she said softly.

" _You know what I mean,"_ he insisted _. "Do it. Now."_

She didn't have a choice.

She yielded, allowing the sensation of his energy to flow over her head, behind her ears, and down her neck.

Then there was an image.

She was underwater.

But she was young. She swam and shimmied through the water like she'd been born in it. Dappled sunlight tickled the the light's surface, casting a yellowish glow on the swimming child.

She held hands with a boy. A boy with dark hair, much older than her.

Rey's eyes widened, tears spilling with shock as the water rose to above her nose.

She knew how to swim because he'd taught her how.

Rey disappeared under the surface, pumping her arms under the water and swimming in circles, brushing her fingertips against the cold metal of her pool.

The young woman kicked off her boots so she could feel the cool water on her bare feet.

She wasn't imprisoned anymore.

It felt more like she'd been freed.

She felt the sand from Jakku leaving her hair as it wound itself in tendrils around her neck, let loose from its ties.

She remembered. She'd been able to hold her breath for longer than him.

Rey joined her hands above her head, and sashayed her hips through the water until she broke the surface. The water was so high now she could touch the porthole.

She pressed on it from the inside, but it wasn't budging.

There was no keypad, or handle or knob to turn or pull. The only way out was from outside.

A banging vibrated from the other side. "REY!"

She could hear his voice now. "I'm here!" She called back.

His heart stopped at the muffled sound of her voice coupled with the splashing water.

His hands were shaking.

He ripped off the glove in his right hand with his teeth, tossing it aside. He began typing in a code on the keypad.

The Red letters flashed at him, grumpy and rude. DENIED.

"Damn Hux!" He exclaimed.

The codes for his Sector were different.

He tried pressing his hand to the Identification Scanner, but once again, DENIED flashed at him.

It couldn't end like this.

He was so close.

Again.

Only to lose her?

No.

He pulled out his lightsaber. "Get back!" He yelled, pressing the button on the hilt to ignite it.

There was a pause. "O-okay," she said.

"Damn Hux!" She heard him yell from the other side.

That couldn't be good.

"GAH!" She groaned as the water pushed her up against the ceiling.

And she couldn't keep kicking for much longer. Her legs were burning, acheing to stop.

Her face was pressed against the ceiling her palms flat.

"Get back!" He yelled. She heard the hum and buzz of a lightsaber.

Her eyes widened, realizing what he was going to do. "Okay!" She shouted. She moved away from the porthole. Suddenly in the darkness there was a blinding red light starting to melt through the metal.

The smoke and scent of burning metal filled her nose and lungs, making it harder to breathe. _"Please hurry,"_ she said with her mind, feeling herself starting to black out.

She took a deep breath and went back underwater to escape the smoke.

The saber was starting to touch the surface of the water, heating it up and forming bubbles and steam.

She watched as he slowly started to melt and corrode away the metal in a circle formation.

After her lungs started to burn she swam back up.

But that was it.

Her hands touched the ceiling.

The whole cell was filled to the brim.

She banged helplessly against the metal, pushing aimlessly, to no avail.

She needed to breathe.

Now.

Her legs stopped.

Her vision was starting to fade.

Her lungs filled with water as she sank lower into the darkness.

" _No! Rey hold on! Don't go! Stay with me!"_ His voice was growing quieter and quieter in her mind. _"REY!"_

 **SET LIST**

 **Hidden Citizens – I Just Died In Your Arms**

 **Andrew W.K. – Ready To Die**

 **Karmina – All The King's Horses**

 **MIIA – Dynasty**

 **Bishop Briggs – River**

 **Avenged Sevenfold – Almost Easy**

 **Apocalyptica feat. Lacey – Broken Pieces**

 **Jaroslav Beck feat. Summer Haze – Escape**

 **Bring Me The Horizon – Throne**

 **Christina Aguilera – Fighter**

 **Evans Blue – A Cross A Girl Named Blessed**

 **Halsey – Gasoline**

 **Van Halen – Why Can't This Be Love**

 **SVRCINA – Meet Me On The Battlefield**

 **Halestorm – Bad Romance**

 **Kelly Clarkson – You Found Me**

 **Fall Out Boy – Last of the Real ones**

 **Selena Gomez – Stars Dance**

 **Styx – Come Sail Away**

 **Lindsey Stirling feat. Lzzy Hale – Shatter Me**

 **Rise Against – Satellite**

 **Foreigner – Urgent**

 **Ariana Grande feat. John Legend – Tale As Old As Time**

 **Journey – Separate Ways**

 **Lindsey Stirling – Carol of the Bells**

 **The Piano Guys – Cello Wars Lightsaber Duel**

 **Fall Out Boy – Centuries**

 **Taylor Davis – Star Wars Medley**

 **Queen – Who Wants To Live Forever**

 **Fleurie – Hurts Like Hell**

 **Cinematic Orchestra – To Build A Home**

 **Miley Cyrus - When I Look At You**

 **watch?v=Ac4J9344s2slist=PL9plxRTDikinMGce0lknREnqB7pBNN39F**


	5. Chapter 5

Kylo groaned with the effort of dragging his light saber through the thick metal. Steam was coming up from the cracks, no doubt due to contact with the cold water from the cell's flooding. He carved at the porthole door, locked and sealed like a vault.

"GRAAAHHH!" He exclaimed, forcing the saber to burn through faster.

But then he felt it.

A huge wave of emotion hit him so hard it stopped his heart.

Fear. Desperation.

She was out of space.

Out of air.

Rey was drowning.

"NO!" He exclaimed. "Rey hold on!" He reached out with his heart. Unable to stop himself from sending forth every bit of himself and his power that he could.

"Don't go!" His eyes were misting.

She couldn't leave him.

Not like this.

Not when he's come so far...

He gasped and groaned in agony. He felt everything she was feeling.

A burning pressure in his lungs, making it hard to breathe.

He felt her frantic heart, the desperate pulsing of her blood, the soreness in her hands from banging against the metal door.

He could feel her dying.

"Stay with me!" He begged, his eyes pooling with tears. His heart was in pieces, his soul broken and shattering as he vocalized his deepest desire.

He kept pushing, the door almost completely cut off.

"REEEYYY!" Kylo howled with anguish, a guttural, primal sound he'd never known he was capable of making.

Her energy was fading.

What was once a vibrant fire became a warm ember, dulling in brightness with each passing moment.

She was out of time.

"UUUURRGGHHH!"

To hell with it.

Kylo stood up and stretched an arm towards the floor, flicking up his wrist and curling his fingers inwards.

With a loud screech of protest the door was ripped and lifted off its hinges.

He made a flicking motion, waving his arm harshly to his right.

The door was thrown to the side in a smoking, contorted clump.

Without a second thought he dove in.

The water was relentlessly cold and dark. He couldn't see a thing.

So he closed his eyes and felt.

The force was pulling him to the bottom of the tank.

He felt a pulsing of life, faint and barely perceptible but it was there.

Kylo darted through the water, diving deeper and deeper. He felt around the floor and the walls.

A tendril of cloth brushed against his neck.

Without a moment's hesitation he reached out and encircled his arm around Rey's waist, hugging her to him and kicking up from the bottom to begin the swim back up.

But he had to hurry. She'd always been the better swimmer, even when they were children.

He was already running out of air.

The water had soaked into his uniform, weighing him down, along with the weight of the girl in his arms.

He gazed up at the opening, and as he swam up he was enveloped in a bright, blinding beacon of light.

With everything he had, he reached out for it, for the surface...for the light.

For the first time in years, he gave into it.

It called to him. A warm, enticing and euphoric state of being. In that moment he wanted it more than anything. The light was life, light, love, joy...air.

The darkness couldn't live without the light.

He'd never had a chance.

He broke through the surface with a gasp, his vision lost for a moment as he momentarily blacked out.

Kylo kneeled, his body shaking from the cold, his breathing irregular, still holding Rey.

His eyes were fixed on her face, searching for any sign of life as he brushed her hair back with his palms.

But her body was cold. The soft, heart shaped face in front of him betrayed no emotion.

"No," he whispered, cupping her face in his hands.

He couldn't accept it.

The dark knight laid her down underneath him, beginning careful presses on her chest.

He swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking hands.

Kylo gritted his teeth, tense for the situation to come.

He wasn't ready for this. He didn't want it to be like this.

But he just had to save her.

He placed his right hand on the side of her face, slightly tilting her chin up.

He closed his eyes, and pressed his lips to hers.

He breathed his love and life into her, mentally reaching and grabbing for any strand of consciousness.

He groaned in despair as he pulled away, unable to control his shuddering.

She was so soft. In every way. The pout of her lips called to his soul like a siren.

But he was anguished. Her lips were cold. Her whole body was cold.

She was a fighter, fighting him within an inch of his life at every turn.

That was her essence. The core of who she was.

But Rey was so frail, now. Too relenting, too limp beneath him.

He kept up the mantra, pressing on her chest, breathing into her lungs until he'd given her every piece of him.

The dark, villainous beast sobbed and cried out brokenly. "Please!" He begged through gritted teeth.

His cheeks were red with awkwardness and exertion, about to breathe his final breath until there was a sound.

Rey's eyes shot open and water gurgled from her mouth.

Kylo quickly turned her on her side, his hand on her back, speechless beside her.

"Ugh," Rey moaned, obviously in pain.

He couldn't help but let his shock overwhelm his elation.

She was clinging to him like she did when they were children, as if she needed him as much as he needed her.

He gawked at her hands, clutching his arm, stunned.

He was a man of darkness. A creature of the shadows.

All he was capable of feeling was hate and anger and fear.

And yet this beautiful goddess of light was holding onto him for dear life, as if he were her salvation.

Like he were some life-giving source of good.

The sight took his breath away.

His eyes were wide. Scared.

Scared she'd realize. See the monster he truly was and recoil from him.

He blinked. Over and over. But she hadn't disappeared.

She was still there.

She wasn't a dream.

Her body shook with cold, with the effort of taking air into her lungs again, as if for the first time.

He didn't waste another minute.

He gathered her in his arms, cradling her, pressing her against him to keep her warm.

Once he was steady on his feet, he began walking out of the Holding Hanger.

~.~

There was nothing.

It was an infinite, dark, and cold nothing.

But there was no pain. No fear.

She was numb. Weightless. Free.

It was so easy to just...cease to be.

It was easier than she thought it'd be.

Why had she fought it so hard? To live? To suffer?

Surely there must have been a reason.

She just...couldn't remember...

But that didn't matter, now. She found peace in the darkness. There was no struggle, no conflict, no doubts. She wasn't at odds with herself, needing to know who she was, who's side she was on...she was just...

Someone.

She wasn't sure what her name had been.

But in the darkness she didn't need a name.

She didn't need anyone.

Not her parents, not Finn, or Han, or Chewy...not even –

UUUURRGGHHHH!

The primal groan of anguish was suddenly being pulled back into the light.

It was bright and blinding and loud and -

It was too much.

Too overwhelming.

She wanted to stay in the darkness.

There was no pain.

She didn't want to be in pain anymore...

She'd been through enough.

But the pain was exploding anyway.

With a rush there was pressure on her chest.

Heat and life on her lips and in her heart.

Everything crashed at her until -

She was coughing up water.

So much water. Still desperate to breathe.

She couldn't stop hacking.

Someone nudged her to her side so she wouldn't drown again.

Drown in the water? The excruciating agony? She couldn't tell anymore.

Everything was too bright. Too loud, too much.

Someone was touching her.

The sensation was so familiar, engrained into every cell in her body.

Her soul knew this person.

This touch.

She held onto the person's arms.

Her head was spinning, she was blind and dead and alive all at once, not sure which one to wish for.

This person's heat was her anchor.

The only thing keeping her from spinning back into the darkness.

Then she remembered.

The boy.

The boy who held her hand.

He was why she couldn't have stayed in the darkness.

The boy needed her.

She didn't know how she knew this, but she did.

Tears fell from her eyes.

What happened to that little boy?

She had to help him.

She clung tighter, trying to force her vision to clear so she could speak.

But just as she was about to, she was being lifted and carried, her nose pressed into darkness and warmth.

She fought it though. The overwhelming need to sleep, the call to the dark.

She wanted it. So much. But she needed to stay awake. So she could find that boy. The boy who needed her.

Her face was in someone's neck.

This scent...

She whimpered.

The boy's name broke the surface of her mind, leaving a gash in her heart.

"Ben," she whined, tears falling from her eyes.

The body she laid against stiffened, as if the word was a knife, twisted and sunk in deep.

"Ben," she whimpered, and the darkness claimed her once more.

~.~

She was alive, fading in and out of consciousness.

But her heart beat strong and steady against his, so that was good enough for him.

He felt the dark swirling around her, like it was hungry and closing in on prey.

Kylo wanted her on his side. That was the end goal. But he didn't want her to turn and not still be herself.

He was a little disappointed. He hadn't expected her to turn so easily.

She squirmed against him and moaned quietly. "Ben," her soft voice pined.

He froze.

His soul shattered like glass. That name...

With that one, small word, she'd stripped away every layer of skin and bone and self that made him who he was.

With one word, he was that scared, lonely, broken boy again.

He shuddered and ground his teeth, holding back tears.

No. That boy was dead. He could never be that boy again.

"Ben," she said again, and continued to mumble it as if calling to him.

"Stop," he whispered.

With every whisper of his name she uttered, she drove him closer to madness. Every syllable was a knife in his heart.

"Ben," she whispered desperately.

She was the only one who loved that little boy.

Ben.

But she couldn't love him anymore.

He didn't exist.

"Ben..." She whispered. Gentle. Soft. Coaxing.

Like a siren calling to him to join her in the depths.

He couldn't take it anymore.

Kylo Ren waved his hand over her head.

She instantly slumped against him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, holding her tighter.


	6. Chapter 6

The scavenger girl awoke to the sensation of being on a cloud.

She curled and uncurled her fists experimentally.

She realized the cloud was made of fabric.

The softest material she'd ever felt in her life.

She was wearing pants that flared at the ankles, made of the same cloth.

And a dress top, flowy with soft, delicate ribbons for straps.

She opened her eyes.

She rubbed the material of her shirt between her finger tips. It was the darkest ebony color she'd ever seen, with delicate crimson lines embroidered so finely that it shimmered in the light.

Then there was a sharp pain coming from her torso.

She needed to eat.

Desperately.

She jolted out of...

Bed.

It was a bed.

She cleared her throat and flushed with color, her eyes darting around the room.

She was in a bedroom.

Sort of.

But...whose?

There was a screen and a console, beeping red lights over a door.

An exit?

She walked up to the first one and reached a hand out.

The door opened to reveal a closet.

She blinked in surprise, not expecting this.

She really wasn't in a cell, for the first time in probably three days.

Inside the closet were rows and rows of cloaks, cowls, suits and robes in gray and black, and a few white shirts.

Rey blushed, realizing she was probably in... _his_ room.

She immediately felt her arms and stomach, as if expecting to be in pain or... worse.

But she felt fine. Her throat was sore and her stomach was periodically giving cries of outrage, but he hadn't harmed her.

So why was she in his room?

But back to the task at hand.

She ignored the ache in her legs and feet, screaming at her in protest as she crouched on the floor.

Rey army-crawled to the other door, experimentally pushing on it.

She fell onto the ground with an oomph.

The door was motion-detecting, and immediately closed behind her.

The second she stood up her senses were flooding with the most amazing smell.

Someone was cooking.

The young girl crawled along the wall again, so silent she could've given a bounty hunter a run for his money.

She imagined she had a window of eight seconds to see food, grab something and bolt down the hallway to try and...

And...

Her face grew pensive.

Do what?

Escape?

She was in _night clothes_ for crying out loud. What was she supposed to do?

And the last time she tried to run away...

Then it all came flooding back to her.

The water.

The flashback.

The boy who held her hand.

Ben.

She shook her head.

No. She needed food _now_.

That was objective number one.

There was an open entryway. She peered into it.

There were knives on the table.

Weapons.

She kneeled down on the ground, and quickly grabbed one from her position on the ground.

She took a deep breath.

Now or never, she thought.

She jumped up from behind the counter, pointing the knife out in front of her, in position to fight.

She was stunned to see Kylo Ren.

...In a robe.

But...like...a soft, silk robe.

Pajamas.

Holding a spatula.

She immediately blushed, completely embarrassed.

Kylo flushed with color as well, quickly breaking eye contact. "I was..." He stirred the food around nervously, "going to bring it to you," he said gently.

She resolved to put the knife down. She sighed, running her hand through her hair.

Which was down, and had dried in curls.

"Have a seat," he said shyly, gesturing a hand to the bar stool. It scooted across the floor in her direction with a flourish of his hand.

Rey hesitantly slid into the chair, tapping her fingers on the table's surface. "You...cook?" She asked, unable to look at him.

He glared at the frying pan. "No, I don't," he said, in a tone indicating he was less than pleased.

Rey swallowed, confused. "Oh," was all she thought of to say.

Ren rolled his shoulders and stirred something in a pot with a spoon. "If I poison you, I swear it was accidental."

She leaned her arms on the table, crossed in front of her. "So you're not going to kill me?"

He momentarily froze, like he was dumbfounded by her question. Without warning his lightsaber was out and on, humming and buzzing menacingly.

And suddenly it shot through the air to point directly at her face.

Her eyes widened, the red light shining with such anger, the heat burning her face.

He wasn't even holding it. But he had total control. His tone was calm and composed. "If I wanted you dead, you would be." And just as quickly, the saber was extinguished and back in his robe pocket.

He hadn't even looked up from the frying pan. Like it didn't even happen.

But then he blinked and cleared his throat, turning to meet her eyes. "That wasn't a threat," he said, "I was just...joking. To lighten the mood." The last part he said as if he couldn't believe his own words.

Rey couldn't help but smile. "By clarifying all the ways you could kill me?"

He looked away, contemplating her words. "Apparently," he muttered quietly, growing more and more baffled by his behavior.

It was a joy to watch.

The scary monster Kylo Ren, in pajamas and slippers, proving to be just as inept at talking as he was at cooking.

Rey watched, fascinated, as he scooped some of the stir-fried greens and meat onto a plate, and ladeled some brothy-soup substance into a small bowl.

Without a word he placed it in front of her, watching her, as if for approval.

As hungry as she was, she was still a tad suspicious.

He saw the skepticism in his eyes. "I really _am_ trying not to poison you," he urged, turning around to extinguish the cooking fire, wafting away the smoke.

The energy surrounding him was happy, she noticed. Content. Calm. Like still waters on a pond.

He seemed a tad jittery and nervous, but not murderous by any means.

Slightly annoyed, maybe.

Out of nowhere he sighed, due to the fact she still hadn't touched the food. "There are far more effective ways to kill you that require much less effort."

Rey raised an eyebrow. "So it happens."

He grunted in acknowledgement but didn't turn towards her as he made himself busy with washing dishes.

She took this opportunity to study his face.

Kylo's eyes were a dark brown color, and his hair was wet, moisture gathering on the tips of his ears and down his neck.

Rey felt her own hair.

The back of it was still damp.

That was the moment she understood.

 _He saved me,_ she thought.

"Thank you," she said.

Kylo smirked at her. "You might want to try it first before you thank me."

She smiled. "You saved my life."

She was surprised to see a sharp grimace overtake his face. "I also endangered it," he retorted.

She took a sip of the broth, then took several gulps, chugging it down.

It was delicious.

"That has medicine," he said. "Herbs. For your cut. So it heals."

A hand went automatically to her forehead, remembering. But she didn't quite understand. "Why?"

He bit his lip. "Why what?" He asked, like this was a normal conversation between two normal people.

The weird thing was that around him, she _did_ feel normal.

"Why bother? Why didn't you just let me die?"

He swallowed, avoiding eye contact. "It's complicated," he evaded.

"Then explain it to me."

"I tried," he said, a hint of sadness in his tone. "But you don't remember."

"Why did you want me in the first place?"

Kylo's tone was all business now, as if he had the mask back on. "Because you've seen the piece of the map we need to find Skywalker. It was imperative that I extract it from you."

She shook her head. "You didn't just stumble upon me in that forest. You were looking for me. Hunting me. Pursuing me. Why?"

Kylo flushed, his body suddenly tense. "You had vital information that would aid us in the search for – "

"– But you didn't know that at first. When you found me. You said...I was the girl. _The girl you've heard so much about_. You were seeking me out, even before you knew I'd seen the map. I don't understand why."

He finally made eye contact with her, shrugging. "Our contacts told us the droid was with you," he stated matter of factedly. "The droid with the map."

"That's all?" She asked, unbelieving.

"I thought you were hungry," he raised an eyebrow in turn, nodding his head at her food.

She was.

Rey took several bites with much enthusiasm, swallowed quickly and then got back on task. "You said the least we could be was honest to each other."

The man walked over so they were a foot apart, standing over her. "I _have_ been. I've never lied to you."

"But you're also not telling me everything," she said gently, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Well that makes two of us," he pointed out, once again flipping the situation on her and dodging her questions.

As they stared at each other, the tension and energy between them started to build again.

She felt the crackling in the air, the heat and suspense.

He shuddered, like he felt it too.

 _Don't be afraid, I feel it too._

But it was more than an attraction or desire.

She _knew_ him.

The boy.

Ben.

"Ben," she said experimentally, looking him directly in the eyes.

He flinched, his eyes widening as he let out a gasp.

Before she could stop herself she reached a hand out, letting her finger tips touch the edges of his face.

He was frozen, lips slightly parted, eyes filled with fear and want.

It was the first time she was feeling this.

Skin on skin.

With him.

She brushed her thumb over his lip, like he'd done to her.

He swallowed, a shiver going through him.

She wove the rest of her fingers into his dark hair, gently stroking his scalp.

He tensed his jaw and ground his teeth, closing his eyes, trapped in an intense pleasure.

She reached out with her heart, to his…

He was feeling pure bliss. Euphoria. A heated desire he was fighting so he didn't take her right then and there.

Rey wound a lock of hair around one of her fingers and gently tugged.

"Gaah," he let a moan escape before he could stop it. His eyes were clenched tight, as though he were in pain. "Careful," he breathed, his tone indicated he wanted her to be anything _but_.

She did it again.

Harder.

"Oh Rey," he threw his head back out of reflex, that one small tug tensing his entire body.

A tear fell from her eye when she realized.

He was trying not to fall apart. Her touch was unmanning him.

She was unnerved by the level of trust he'd given her. Allowing her to touch him like this. Explore, cherish, caress.

Rey stretched out her other hands, moving them so they held the back of his head.

She leaned in close, looking at his face.

As if he felt her gaze, he opened his eyes to meet hers.

Their faces were an inch apart as she held him in her hands, like he was precious.

His eyes were so...familiar.

"The boy I saw..." She trailed off, tracing the line of his jaw.

"It was you," she muttered almost unintelligibly.

His eyes glistened, like he was on the cusp of crying.

She'd shattered the spell. She'd shattered _him_.

To her shock, he pulled away and straightened, like she'd slapped him.

"That boy," he said hoarsley, shaking his head, "you'll never find him."

"Why?" She couldn't help asking, her hand still outstretched to the broken man in front of her.

His voice shook as he expelled the words through his teeth. "Because I killed him."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey Guys! Sorry about the super late update. I've started up school again and life has been crazy. I know this chapter is shorter than what I normally write but I wanted to give you guys a little something to hold you over until I can write a proper chapter. I'll be updating more regularly.**

 **-Xero**

Chapter 7

Kylo cleared his throat, taking deep breaths and composing himself. After he'd gotten back the picture perfect calm he'd had before, his voice was cold and emotionless. "You could be of great help to us. And if you wish, after you give us what we need, I'll let you go. But if you don't cooperate, there are people on this base who would hurt you."

Rey stiffened, shooting him a scowl. "Are you one of these people?"

He scowled back. "I _could_ be if you show resistance."

The girl stood up out of her chair, her fists balled at her sides. "You said you have no intention of harming me."

Kylo averted his eyes. "And I don't," he mumbled. "But if the Supreme Leader orders me to do so – "

"– What, you're Snoke's slave? You'll do whatever he says, even when you know he's wrong?"

"The Supreme Leader is never wrong," Kylo said dangerously, with conviction and total belief in his words. "I am his loyal soldier and faithful apprentice, and I will do what he asks of me without hesitation or question."

Rey's throat became hot and tight as she held back tears. She wanted the boy who'd held her hand. The one who taught her how to swim. Ben, who treated her with such tenderness and adoration.

"That boy is not gone," she declared, making him flinch, "He is right in front of me, and he would never live as someone else's servant. He would never harm an innocent person, and he would _never_ kneel to evil."

The way his eyes darkened, Rey could tell she'd struck a nerve, and he'd had enough. "You cannot begin to understand the suffering that brought me here. The _evils,_ as you call it, that I sought escape from."

Rey couldn't accept this. She shook her head. "While the First Order has you under their thumb, you are a cold, heartless malevolence that strikes fear into anyone with freewill."

The disgruntled man swallowed, his arms crossed over his chest. "No. The Supreme Leader saved me from becoming that."

Now she really didn't understand. "What are you saying?" she stammered. A feeling of dread was starting to well up in her chest.

Kylo glowered at her. "You saw my mind. You saw I was one of Skywalker's padawans."

The girl stared at the floor. "No I didn't."

Kylo snickered with distaste. "Yes you did. You saw what he tried to turn me into. I wasn't allowed to feel sadness or anger...or joy...or love..." his eyes flickered to her briefly and then back down. "I wasn' _t supposed_ to _feel_ anything."

But before she could properly retort, four storm troopers and General Hux burst into the room, immediately marching over to Rey and grabbing her.

"NO!" she exclaimed, kicking and biting, wriggling her torso to make it the most difficult to apprehend her as possible.

Kylo's expression changed from one of despair to one of rage. "What is the meaning of this?! I'm interrogating the girl!"

Hux gave a sinister smirk. "The Supreme Leader has grown impatient. He will interrogate the girl himself. We're putting her in a holding cell while we await his arrival."

Kylo gritted his jaw. "Is the Supreme Leader aware that his most precious source of information would have been wrongfully terminated, if not for my intervention?"

Hux's eye twitched, clearly holding back annoyance of the highest order. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The young knight of Ren met eye to eye with Hux, staring him down. "She'd been dumped into an FLDT cell, left to drown. The Supreme Leader wouldn't have this opportunity if it weren't for – "

"– That wasn't a mistake, Snoke gave that order to me directly."

Kylo's heart dropped. _What? No. Why?_

"It was clear from the beginning that your pursuit of this scavenger girl was distracting you from our primary goal. I brought this issue to him, and he agreed it was the best course of action."

Kylo was outraged. He'd never felt so betrayed. He had to be lying.

He watched in horror as his sweet girl was wrangled and beaten to still her struggling.

He couldn't stand it.

"Make no mistake, there will be consequences for your disobedience," Hux said with a nonchalance and calm that only infuriated Kylo further. "But since she's alive, despite our best efforts, she might as well be of use to us."

Rey looked at him in pure fear and pain.

He was helpless. He couldn't disobey. But everything in his heart was screaming at him to save her from the inevitable.

"You can't take her!" Kylo growled. "She's wounded, she needs medical attent – "

"– Believe me, after the Supreme Leader is through with her, it will be pointless to regard her health in any way." There was a glint in his eye that Kylo instantly recognized.

She was going to die. Whether it had been in that FLDT cell, or in the next few hours, or even on that blasted desert planet Jakku, scrounging for food…he was going to lose her.

His eyes met Rey's desperately, his heart pounding. He wasn't sure if she had a block on her mind or not, but he had to try anyway. _Stall as long as you can, tell Snoke whatever he wants to know, I'll come find you –_

But he saw it in her eyes. Her trust for him was gone.

And he knew her thoughts before she said them.

Whether or not the boy Ben was still inside him, one thing was clear.

She had to find a way off this blasted base.

Her life depended on it.

~.~

Rey was thrown into a cell similar to the first one she'd been put in.

The one where they'd met.

But she couldn't think about him now.

She had to get out of here. How she felt about him or what he could've been to her was irrelevant.

The only person in the cell with her was Hux.

She didn't like the look of this man. Kylo didn't stare at her like this man did.

The redheaded man gazed at her like she was an all-you-could-eat-dinner-buffet.

To her shock, he threw Rey's old clothes at her feet. "Change."

Her face instantly paled.

He wanted her to change in front of him.

Rey glared.

It was clear he wasn't going to leave until she did.

With a shaky nervousness she quickly slipped the silky soft bed shirt over her head, and pulled down the pants she'd been given and wrapped herself into her old rags. She did all of it while looking at Hux.

Once she was done, her cheeks were red but she still stared back, in defiance and strength.

Hux nodded with approval. "It's a shame you couldn't have cooperated sooner. You have nerves of steel. You would have made a valuable addition to the First Order."

She ignored him. "Snoke never gave that order, did he?" she asked.

Hux smiled, making his way out of the cell. "You're smarter than you look."

"Why lie?" She asked, fury building in her chest.

"It is clear Kylo Ren has a high regard for you. If the First Order is to survive and thrive, your existence cannot continue."

"Because I'm a distraction?" she recalled.

Hux gave her a look of contempt and belittlement. "Because you are a pestilence. A nuisance. A poison that could consume him and destroy everything we've worked for."

"I'll be sure to tell Snoke that when he's questioning me. That killing me was _your_ idea."

Hux laughed softly, a dark and sadistic sound. "You still don't get it, do you?"

Two storm troopers came in to place her on another slab, cuffing her wrists and ankles.

She growled and yelled and writhed around, but to no avail.

Hux turned around, and said over his shoulder words that chilled her. "He's not coming."

~.~

He'd lied, but he just had to get on that base.

He had to save her.

She was the first woman…no….the first _person_ to look at him the way she did.

Like he was an individual.

And it was his fault she was in the mess. He never should've left her alone.

His shoulders tightened with frustration and anger when he thought about what that monster could be doing to her.

"I'm coming Rey," Finn said as the Falcon prepared to jump to light speed.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The Stormtrooper stood with his back to Rey, guarding the exit to her cell.

She couldn't lay on this metal slab forever. Who knows what that General had in mind to do with her? If it weren't for Kylo, after all…

The scavenger girl blushed as she realized what he must have gone through to save her. Diving into those murky depths to pull her body to the surface, bringing her back to consciousness with his own life and breath…

Her cheeks flushed red and she gritted her teeth. She had to push these thoughts aside. She hadn't been put here for contemplation, she was going to be executed.

She'd tried to open the cuffs with her mind, but to no avail. And even if she'd managed to get out of them, that didn't solve the problem of the guard. He'd just wrangle her and chain her back up again, or worse.

She'd been hearing his thoughts for the past hour. His name was FN-1824, and he'd been having a bad week. He was covering for another coworker who was supposed to come in but died on a mission. He was tired, and sore and grumpy.

Then it hit her. Reading this man's thoughts was lightyears easier than reading Kylo Ren's. She wasn't even facing the Stormtrooper, yet she could hear his thoughts as clearly as if they were her own.

Perhaps she could use this.

When Kylo had tried to intercept her mind, she'd been able to fight back. Perhaps this meant she had a strong mind.

And because this person didn't have a wall around their thoughts, maybe it meant he had a weak one.

Maybe weak minds were…impressionable.

"You will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open," she tried hesitantly.

There was a silence.

"What did you say?"

 _Oh no, it doesn't seem to be working,_ she thought, but she had to try again. She didn't have another choice. "You will remove these restraints, and leave this cell with the door open," she repeated.

Her heart raced, the ends of her hair stuck to her neck as he briskly walked away from his post to face her. He clutched his gun, as if to threaten her. "I'll _tighten_ those restraints," he spat," Scavenger Scum."

~.~

Kylo Ren had put his helmet back on and was stomping through the hallways, trying to hide his emotions. They couldn't kill her. They just couldn't. No one else understood his pain, like she did. No one had held his face in their hands like he was a fragile seashell. And yet spurred him on and inflicted desire in him so strongly.

He had to convince Snoke to keep her alive. He just _had_ to. She was a force user, yes, but he could train her. They could rule and fight together. She'd overcome his mind probe. She was powerful enough, she just needed guidance. His heart and mind frantically searched the passageways and rooms for her essence _. Please stay,_ he begged all the way, not bothering to try masking his heart to her. _"The boy is gone, but I am here and I need you."_

~.~

Her eyes widened with horror. She was crazy. There was no way this could work. And now he was probably going to hurt her.

But no. Now he was looking at her face.

She got him now _. I know what to do_ , she thought to herself. And took a deep, calming breath, then said in a gentle but firm tone, "You will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door _open._ "

She kept concentrating, this time focusing on her intent. Envisioning him popping open her cuffs, walking over to the cell exit, pressing the unlock button on the door and leaving her behind.

This time he straightened his shoulders, and his grip on his blaster relaxed. His voice was monotone and thoughtless. "I will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open."

FN-1824 reached over to a lever and released her from the shackles.

They popped open with a loud click. She couldn't believe it.

He started to walk away from her, but then she had a thought.

The last time she'd escaped her cell, she'd been put down by a Stormtrooper because she was unarmed.

"And you'll drop your weapon?" She asked, unsure.

"Annnd I'll drop my weapon," he said, and with a loud clunk she heard his blaster hit the floor.

The blood in her body pulsed with hope and possibility as she scrambled out of her cell and grabbed the gun.

But the moment her foot made contact with the hallway floor, his thoughts hit her like a dreadnought.

 _Please stay_ , his voice was broken and panicked. _The boy is gone but I am here and I need you._

She saw what he wanted. Intimate embraces in his chamber, where they whispered the darkest of their secrets in the night. Visiting new worlds, uniting the galaxy, hand in hand. He wanted to be her lover, her teacher. Her partner.

She was frozen.

Rey shuddered and gasped, at the realization that if she said yes, and pursued these things…she could be happy.

Very happy.

She heard his footsteps echoing down the hall.

He was coming. He wanted so desperately to know she was alive.

The young girl yearned for him, for his touch, for his voice, the leather smell of his gloves flooding her senses again.

She clutched the blaster like it was her newborn child, and did the only thing she could.

She ran.


End file.
